Woman jailed 3 months for faking rape

LIVINGSTONE Magistrates Court has sentenced a 21-year-old woman to three months imprisonment for faking rape.
Appearing before magistrate Chinkashi Chilingala was Noriah Namfukwe of Dambwa Site and Service Extension in Livingstone who was charged with giving false information to a public officer contrary to the laws of Zambia.
Particulars of the offence are that on February 3 this year, in Livingstone, Chilingala allegedly gave false information to a public officer by claiming that she was raped by Mulonda Mabuku thereby causing police officers to launch investigations, yet she was lying.
Facts before court were that on the material day around 19:20 hours, Mabuku received a telephone call from the accused asking him to meet her to discuss business.
Mabuku then booked a taxi and proceeded to Toyota Zambia Limited where Namfukwe was stationed.
The court heard that after the two met, the accused went to Livingstone central police station where she reported the rape case.
Police instituted investigations into the matter and a medical check-up was conducted at Livingstone Central Hospital to ascertain the allegation.
The medical report which was presented before court as evidence in the matter indicated that the accused had carnal knowledge.
Mabuku was interrogated by police regarding the matter and he denied carnal knowledge of Namfunkwe.
The court heard that after intensive interrogation of the accused by police, she confessed having faked the story.
She disclosed that she had carnal knowledge with her boyfriend on the same day but implicated Mabuku.
In mitigation, Namfukwe pleaded for court’s leniency stating that she was remorseful.
Passing judgment, magistrate Chilingala said he had considered that the accused was a first offender.
“I’m sending you to prison for three months with hard labour,” he said.